Nut-lock.



. Patented June 24,1902. D. T. WALLACE. I

NUT LUCK.

{Application filed July 20, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

510221179 Zawd I 71368006 D. T. WALLACE.

No. 703,|66. Patented June 24, I902.

NUT LOCK.

(Application filed July 20, 19013 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-$heet 2.

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urn-1a, wAwmu-rom u c Jami? T 7?!![066 UNlTED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

IDA V ID T. \VALLACE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TOCHARLES F. THOMPSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

NUT-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,166, dated June 24,1902.

Application filed July 20,1901. Serial No. 69.015. (N modem To all whom,it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID T. WALLACE, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Nut-Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in nut-locks of that classwherein the nut is provided on its inner face with a series ofprojections or ratchet-teeth, which ratchet-teeth are adapted to beengaged by a click formed on or attached to a washer non-rotativelymounted on the bolt inside the nut, said click holding the nut fromreversely turning on the bolt. 7

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side View of two parts joined by a boltprovided with my improved nut-lock. Fig. 2 is an inner face view of thenut removed from the bolt. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the bolt,showing the washer and locking-ring in position thereon. Fig. 4 is a topplan view of the washer. Fig. 5 is an axial section of the washer andlocking-ring. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the locking-ring. Fig. 7is a fragmentary section on line 7 7 of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a top planview of a washer and locking-ring of a modified construction. Fig. 9 isan axial section of the construction shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a topplan view of a nut and washer shown in Fig. 11, showing a furthermodification. Fig. 11 is an axial section of the nut and c washer,showing the same in position on a bolt. Fig. 12 is a side elevation of anut and washer, showing a still further modification.

As shown in said drawings, A designates a bolt, having the usual head a;B, a nut which engages the screw-threaded end of the bolt; C, a washerwhich has sliding non-rotative engagement with the bolt inside of thenut, and D a locking-ring which surrounds said washer and is lockednon-rotatively to the washer.

W W designate two pieces of wood or other material adapted to be securedtogether between the nut and bolt-head.

The nut is provided on its inner face with a circular series ofprojections b, which, as herein shown, have the form of ratchet-teeth,though said form may be varied. Said ratchetteeth project inwardly fromthe inner face of the nut. The washer O consists principally of acylindric body 0, which is apertured for the passage of the bolttherethrough, and a radial annular flange c, disposed perpendicularly tothe axis of the washer. The washer is provided on its inner margin withan inwardly-directed lug 0 which is adapted to enter a longitudinalgroove a on the bolt, whereby said washer is held non -rotative withrespect to the bolt. The outer end of said cylind ric part of the washerengages the inner face ofthe nut and is made of a size to fit snuglyinthe space surrounded by the annular series of teeth or projections bon the nut, the periphery of the outer end of the washer engaging theinner faces of said teeth. or projections and preventing lateralmovement of said washer relatively to the nut.

The locking-ring D is held non-rotative on the washer, and for thispurpose is provided on its inner margin with a right-angle lug D, whichengages a notch 0 formed on the end and side faces of the cylindric partof the washer, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Said ring is made ofspring sheet metal and is provided with an upwardly-directed click D atone side thereof, which is adapted for engagement with the teeth I) ofthe nut. Said click is formed by cutting or slitting the ring adjacentto the periphery thereof on a curved line concentric with saidperiphery, the part of the ring inside of said slit being bent upwardlyto form the click. When the lockingring is placed on the washer andbefore the nut has been screwed down against the washer, the extremityof the click extends slightly in advance of the end face of the washer,sothat 5 when the nut is turned downwardly against the washer the clickengages the teethof the nut before the end faces of the nut and washerare brought into engagement, so that said click when the parts assumetheir ultiroo mate positions bears with considerable pressure againstthe projections or teeth of the nut and insures a reliable interlockingengagement therewith. Said nut is rotated when being turned on the boltin the direction of the inclination of said click of the washer, so thatwhen the nut is turned against the click the click interlocks with theteeth or projections thereof and prevents reverse rotation of the nut ina manner to remove the same so long as said click is engaged therewith.When it is desired to release the nut, the click may be bent inwardly bya suitable instrument, thereby permitting reverse rotation of the nut ina manner to turn the same on the bolt. If desired, the ring may beprovided with an additional locking means to prevent the same turningwith respect to the washer. As is herein shown, the slit which is cut inthe ring to form the click is extended a distance beyond the end of theclick, and the part of the ring inside of said extended portion of theslit is turned down wardly at a right angle to the plane of the ring toform a lug d, (shown in Figs. 6 and 7,) and said lug engages a notch orrecess 0 in the flange of the washer, as shown in Figs. 4 and 7. The lugD and the additional lug 01 when the latter is employed prevent thelocking-ring from turning with respect to the washer, so that said partsbecome, in effect, a single non-rotative part.

The use of the separable ring in the construction described is ofconsiderable importance as compared with a construction wherein thelocking-click is formed directly on the washer. In the first place thisconstruction permits the locking-ring to be made of reliable springmetal, whereby the resiliency of the click D may be relied upon tomaintain proper interlocking connection between the Washer and the nut.A further advantage of the construction described is that thelocking-ring may be very economically made, it being capable of beingcut and stamped from sheet metal in large quantities at smallexpense,and the washer being made plain maybe formed by a single forgingoperation. A further and important advantage of the constructiondescribed is that there is no strain brought upon the locking-springcaused by the turning of the nut downwardly on the bolt, said nutengaging the outer face of the washer and said washer taking all of theend thrust of the nut. The only strain, therefore, coming on thelocking-ring is that due to the tendency of the nut to turn off thebelt, which obviously is not great.

In Figs. 8 and 9 I have shown a construction differing slightly in itsstructural detail from that already described. In this modification theflange c of the washer C is provided with an annular outwardly-directedrim c", the outer margin of which is flush with the outer end face ofthe cylindric body portion 0 of the washer. Between said flange and thebody of the washer is formed a groove in which is containedalocking-ring E, which diifers from the ring D in that said ring iscompletely severed or split at one point, and one of the ends thereof isturned upwardly to form a click E. Said ring is made of such width as topractically fill the groove between the rim 0 and body of the washer.The locking-ring in this instance is provided on its inner margin withtwo inwardly-extending holding-lugs e e, located on opposite sides ofthe ring and engaging notches or recesses in the body of the washer, asin the construction previously described. The end of the ring remotefrom the click may be bent, if desired, to form a holding prong or luglike the holding prong or lug d of the ring previously described andadapted to engage a corresponding notch in the flange of the washer. Therim 0 is provided in line with the click with a cut-away portion oropening 0 said opening serving as means for gaining access to the clickto release it from the teeth or projections of the washer. The margin ofthe rim engages the inner face of the nut outside of the annular seriesof teeth or projections thereon when the nutis turned down upon thewasher, and said rim serves to pro tect the click and prevent the samebeing accidentally disengaged from the teeth or projections of the nutby articles coming accidentally in contact with said click.

In Figs. 10 and 11 I have shown a further modification, intended to givean additional function to the device. In this construction the nut F,which corresponds with the nut 13 of the previously-described.construction, is provided at its inner end with an annular radial flangeF. the washer E shown in Figs. 8 and 9,'being provided with an annularrim g, formed on the outer margin of the radial annular flange g of saidwasher, and which rim 9 extends at its outer edge flush with the outerface of the cylindric body 9 of the washer. The locking-ring in thisconstruction is like that shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and the parts thereofbear like reference-letters; Said rim 9 in the construction shown inFigs. 10 and 11 is provided at one part thereof with anoutwardly-directed hook portion g which extends beyond the margin of therim, and the extremity of which hook portion is bent inwardly toward thebody of the washer. The

flange F of the nut F is adapted to fit under said hook, said flangebeing herein shown as The washer G is made like made of such diameter asto hear at its margin against the outer margin of the rim. If desired,however, the flange of the nut may fit inside the rim. In placing theparts on the bolt, the nut is first fitted to the washer, and thereafterthe nut and washer are placed on the bolt. The click of the washer Ewill desirably be located on the side of the washer remote from thehook, so that when the margin of the flange of the nutis engaged withthe hook, at which time the nut is inclined to the horizontal, the teethor projections of the nut are engaged with the free end of the click,which extends somewhat beyond the rim When, therefore, the nut isbrought down flat against the rim, it places the click under compressionin such manner as to lock the click in engagement with the teeth. Thewasher is then fitted on the bolt with the locking-lug c engaging thegroove a, and the nut is turned downwardly on the screw-threaded end ofthe bolt. By reason of the engagement of the hook g with the flange ofthe nut the nut and washer are prevented from separating longitudinallyof the bolt, while the nut is free to rotate to turn the samedownwardly, the click slipping over the projections or teeth of the nutin the rotation of the latter. The interlocking engagement of the washerwith the nut prevents the washer from dropping away from the nut,and byreason of the compression put upon the click and the consequentinterlocking connection of said click with the teeth or projections ofthe nut said washer locks the nut from reverse rotation on the bolt,regardless of the position of the washer with respect to the parts WV.In other words, by reason of the fact that the nut and washer areinterlocked and prevented from separation said washer locks the nut fromreverse rotation at any place on the screw-threaded portion of the bolt,whether said washer be in contact with one of the parts WV or not. Withthis construction I am enabled to adjust the nut on the bolt with greatprecision, because of the fact that the effective interlocking of theclick with the teeth or projections of the nut is not dependent upon theengagement of the washer with one of the parts W and the clamping of thewasher between the nut and said part. It often occurs that it isdesirable to use a nut-lock in places where the adjustment of the nutwith respect to the parts through which the bolt passes is required tobe precise-such, for instance, as joining the two parts of a bearing inengine-work or other machine-work. Where such precision is required, thedistance between the teeth or projections of the nut may be too great togive the desired adjustment, and in such case the final position of thenut may act to clamp the parts more tightly together than they should beclamped, or it may occur that in order to prevent the parts beingclamped too tightly together the nut cannot be turned sufficiently tighton said parts to insure a reliable locking of the nut from reversemovement. It may also occur when the nut-lock is used for joining twowooden parts which are liable to shrinkage that in case of shrinkage thedistance would become so great between the nut and the adjacent one ofsaid parts to be joined as to permit a movement of the washer sufficientto disengage the click from the teeth or projections of the nut. With myconstruction, on the other hand, the effective locking of the nut is notdependent upon the engagement of the washer with one of the partsthrough which the bolt passes, so that, notwithstanding such shrinkage,the reliability of the lock would not be impaired.

Instead of forming the hook on the rim g, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11,said hook may be formed on an arm H, rising from theradial flange 0, ifdesired, as shown in Fig. 12.

Other changes may be made in the structural details illustrated withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to belimited thereto excepting as hereinafter made the subject of specificclaims.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with a bolt and a nut, saidnut being provided on its inner face with an annular series of teeth orprojections which extend beyond the inner face of the nut, of a washernon-rotatively mounted 011 the bolt, the end face of which engages theinner face of nut within said series of teeth or projections, andalocking-ring removably surrounding the body of the washer andnon-rotative thereon, said ring being provided with a click adapted forengagement with said teeth or projections on the nut.

2. The combination with a bolt and a nut,

said nut being provided on its inner face with an annular series ofteeth or projections, of a washer non-rotativelymounted on the bolt, theouter end of which engages the inner face of the nut within said seriesof teeth or projections thereof, and a locking-ringsurr'ounding thecylindric body of the washer and provided with a lug which engages anotch in said body and with a click which is adapted for engagement withsaid teeth or projections on the nut.

3. The combination with a bolt and a nut, said nut being provided on itsinner face with an annular series of teeth or projections, of a washernon-rotatively mounted on the bolt, the outer end of which engages theinner face of the nut within said annular series of teeth or projectionsand provided on its inner end with a radial annular flange, and alockingring surrounding the cylindric body of the Washer, said ringbeingprovided with a lug which engages a notch in the body of the washer, andwith a second lug which engages a notch on the flange of said washer,and being provided also with a click which is adapted to engage theteeth or projections onthe nut.

4. The combination with a bolt and a nut, said nut being provided on'itsinner face with an annular series of teeth 01' projections, a washernon-rotatively mounted on the bolt, the outer end of whichIengages theinner end face of said nut within said annular series of teeth orprojections and provided on its inner end with a radial annular flange,and a locking-ring surrounding the cylindric body of the washer, saidring being provided on its inner margin with an angular lug which fitswithin a like-shaped notch formed on the side and end faces of thecylindric body of the washer, and provided also with a click adapt= edfor engagement with the teeth or projections on the nut.

5. The combination with a bolt and nut,

said nut being provided on its inner face with an annular series ofteeth or projections, of a washer mounted non-rotatively on the bolt.

inside of said nut, the outer end of which engages the inner face ofsaid nut, and a sheetmetal ring removably and non rotatively mounted onsaid washer and provided with a click adapted for engagement with theteeth or projections of the nut.

6. The combination with a bolt and a nut, said nut being provided on itsinner face with an annular series of teeth or projections, of a washernon-rotatively mounted on the bolt, said washer being provided in itsouter end face with an outwardly-opening groove located in annularalinement with the teeth or projections of the nut, and a non-rotativeringin said groove provided with a click adapted to engage the teeth orprojections on the nut,said washer being provided with an openingthrough which access maybe had for releasing said click from said teethor projections.

7. The combination with a bolt and a nut, said nutbeing provided on itsinner face with an annular series of teeth or projections, of a washernon-rotatively mounted on said nut and provided inits outer end facewith an outwardlyopening groove located in annular alinement with saidteeth or projections, and a spring-click carried by said Washer in saidgroove adapted for engagement with said teeth or projections, saidwasher being provided with an opening through which access may be hadfor releasing the click from the said teeth or projections.

8. The combination with a bolt and a nut, said nut being provided on itsinner face with an annular series of teeth or projections, of a washernon-rotatively mounted on the nut and comprising a central body, aradial annular flange on the inner end of said washer, an annular rim onthe margin of said flange having its outer margin flush with the endface of said body and adapted to "engage the inner face of the nutoutside said annular series of teeth or projections, a non-rotative ringlocated in the groove between said rim and the central body and providedwith a click adapted for engagement with the teeth or projections of thenut, said rim being provided inline with said click with an opening.

9. The combination with a bolt and a nut, of a washer non-rotativelymounted on the bo1t,inter1ocking connections between the adjacent facesof said nut and washer which prevent relative rotation thereof in adirection to remove the nut from the bolt, and means preventingseparation of said nut and washer longitudinally of the bolt whilepermitting said nut to turn on the bolt.

10. The combination with a bolt and a nut, said nut beingprovided on itsinner face with an annular series of teeth or projections, of a washernon-rotatively mounted on said bolt and carrying a click adapted forengagement with said teeth, and interlocking connections between thewasher and nut preventing movement of the same endwise of the bolt.

11. The combination with a bolt and a nut, said nut being provided onits inner face with an annular series of teeth or projections, of aWasher non-rotatively mounted on the bolt and carrying a click adaptedfor engagement with said teeth or projections, and a hook on the Washeradapted to pass over and engage the outer face of the nut to preventseparation. of saidnut and washer longitudinally of the bolt.

12. The combination with a bolt and a nut, said nut being provided withan annular radial flange and on its inner face with an annular series ofteeth or projections, of a washer non-rotatively mounted on the bolt andcarrying a click adapted for engagement with said teeth or projections,and a hook on the washer adapted for engagement with the flange on thenut in a manner to prevent separation of said nut and washerlongitudinally of the bolt.

13. The combination with a nut and bolt, said nut being provided on itsinner face with an annular series of teeth or projections, of a Washernon-rotatively mounted on the bolt and provided with a click adapted forengagement with said teeth or projections, said washer being providedwith an annular rim adapted for engagement at its outer margin with theinner face of the nut and said rim being provided with a hook whichengages the outer face of the nut in a manner to prevent separation ofthe nut and Washer longitudinally of the bolt.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix mysignature, in presence of two Witnesses, this 17th day of July, A. D.1901.

DAVID T. WALLACE.

Witnesses:

TAYLOR E. BRoWN, GEORGE E. WILKINs.

